CALIFORNIA
PRISONS
TO CHANGE
PEPPER SPRAY RULES

Sacramento 
California prison officials said Wednesday they will change the rules for using pepper spray on mentally ill inmates, as a federal judge considers whether current practices violate inmates’ civil rights.

The corrections department will limit how much pepper spray can be used and how quickly, said spokeswoman Deborah Hoffman. The rules are being written and would not apply to emergency situations. The state’s announcement comes as U.S. District Judge Lawrence Karlton ordered corrections officials to publicly release videos that show prison guards pumping pepper spray into the cells of mentally disturbed inmates, some of whom begin shrieking or yelling for help. The videos were shown during a hearing over the use of force against mentally ill inmates. The state’s expert said in court documents guards routinely use canisters of pepper spray the size of a fire extinguisher on unarmed inmates when a much smaller quantity could be used.